As everyone turned their heads, a man wearing embroidered white boots, dressed in a purple robe, with a gold-inlaid jade pendant on his left waist and a bulging money bag with gold thread patterns on his right, stood out. He was tall and handsome, with jet-black hair tied high on his head in a gold bun, and had an elegant and refined air about him.
The handsome man strode into the courtroom with his long legs; he was estimated to be around 1.9 meters tall, a full head taller than everyone else. In modern eyes, he would be the quintessential movie star, exuding an air of arrogance mixed with refinement, and a ruthless yet taciturn presence.
The county magistrate greeted him with a fawning smile, "Young Master Murong, what brings you to the government office today?"
"This is my jurisdiction. Do I need to inform you beforehand to conduct an inspection?" The man's face was icy. He walked a few steps to the table, plopped down on the county magistrate's throne, and said coldly, "Some people have reported to me that a major murder has occurred in Longyang Town. I have come here specifically to supervise the investigation. Does Lord Liu have any questions?"
"Yes, yes, I was too talkative." The county magistrate thought that Lord Murong was just passing by and that a few words of greeting would suffice. Little did he know who had invited this important figure. Alas! The cooked duck was about to fly away.
Hua Yuhe had a bad feeling when she saw Murong Xingchen suddenly arrive. The Murong family had many people in the court, but this ruthless man was one of the few exceptions.
Murong Qing raised her eyelids and glanced at the crowd below the stage before coldly asking in a businesslike tone, "What brings you to the authorities?"
Upon hearing this, Lan Yamei thought that this person and the county magistrate were not on the same side, and there was hope that the case would be handled fairly. She quickly said, "Sir, the matter is like this..." Lan Yamei recounted the cause and effect in this way before changing the subject and saying, "Lord Liu, who loves the people like his own children, was about to slap the little orphan who had lost his relatives. We spoke up for the poor child and Lord Liu wanted to hit us as well. Fortunately, you came, sir. Please investigate the matter thoroughly."
After listening, the man glanced at Lord Liu, who was cowering to the side and secretly wiping his sweat, and then read through the case file again, gaining a clearer understanding.
Ask Wang Fengyang, "Kid, who are you suing?"
"Sir, I'm accusing this woman!" Wang Fengyang said, pointing to Hua Yuhe standing to the side. "This woman asked me to poison someone, but I didn't. Later, my family died, and they died in this woman's shop." He then pointed to Lan Yamei.
Hua Yuhe was about to speak in her defense when the handsome man gave her a sharp look, and she swallowed her words, not daring to speak, only coughing lightly twice.
Lan Yamei was secretly delighted; he really was an honest official! There was hope for him to be exonerated.
"Do you know what this woman's name is?" the handsome man continued to ask Wang Fengyang.
Wang Fengyang shook his head and said, "I don't know her name either. She used to say her name was Meilinguan. I just found out that this kind grandma is Meilinguan, so I don't know her name either."
"Meilin Pass!" The handsome young man repeated the name in a low voice, then looked up at the somewhat aged woman in front of him, frowned and pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you the legendary doctor Meilin Pass? The former manager of Hua Man Lou?"
Although Aunt Guan was reluctant to talk about the past, she nodded in order to prove her innocence, which was considered an admission.
Seeing the woman nod, the person in the courtroom was visibly agitated, but quickly concealed his emotions and said to Lord Liu, "So, Lord Liu, this signed and sealed petition is somewhat inappropriate. You handled the major case of the change of ownership of Hua Man Lou back then. Don't you know which of the two people below is Manager Mei?"
Lord Liu's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, stammering, "My lord, I am blind. It has been many years since I last saw you, and Manager Mei has aged considerably. I truly did not recognize her at first glance. However, back then, she saw Qian Qiyi colluding with outsiders to kill Manager Hua's parents, which shows that she is a vicious person. Even if I knew who the real Manager Mei was, it would not affect today's case. This child pointed out that Mei Linguan committed the murder, so of course I arrested Mei Linguan for questioning. Please, Lord Murong, investigate thoroughly; everything I have said is true."
"You've spoken the truth! Lord Liu, I must remind you, the common people are the people of the court. Our emperor loves his people like his own children. Your taking things out of context is not only harming the interests of the court but also smearing the emperor's rule of law."
"Lord Murong, I dare not! I will certainly handle this impartially." Under a series of rebukes, Lord Liu lost all his arrogance and became trembling with fear, after all, this young man could dismiss him at any time.
"Very well, let me ask you again, why didn't you investigate the well poisoning incident, but instead slapped this poor child? Lord Liu, every cause has its effect! In judging a case, you must trace it back to its source in order to be impartial."
"My lord, I am foolish and have learned my lesson." Lord Liu originally intended to extort money from both Hua Manlou and the barbecue restaurant to cover up the case. In any case, the victim had no one to back him up, so even if they were dissatisfied, they could only swallow their anger.
"Is Lord Liu over sixty years old this year?" The man wasn't in a hurry to deal with Lord Liu, who was such an old sticky person, but instead asked about other things.
"In reply to Lord Murong, I am already sixty-five years old this year," Lord Liu answered truthfully.
"Many people in this dynasty are already enjoying their retirement surrounded by their children and grandchildren at your age. If you, Lord Liu, can't even understand such a simple case, I think you should not waste the court's trust and should retire to the countryside as soon as possible." Murong said this very seriously, without a hint of joking.
The people below dared not even breathe loudly; this young boss was really tough! He actually threatened to pull off his hat on the spot.
Lord Liu stared wide-eyed, stunned for a full half minute, before blushing and saying, "Lord Murong, I am willing to investigate this case thoroughly, even at the cost of my life. Please give me time. If I am found to have acted unfairly in handling the case, I will personally resign and take the blame."
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